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Dexter Pahldrick
Deceased Human representative of the Council of Teol. General Information Full Name: Dexter Valence Pahldrick Skills: Military Tactics, Economic Acumen, Motivational Techniques, Loving Family-Man Goals: Protecting those subordinate to him, raising his family, assuring human dominance in the new world Likes: Swords, his family, whiskey, getting things done, a good story Dislikes: The Adventurer’s Guild, Rebels, Jungles, manticores Biography Dexter Pahldrick is a name that inspires a reaction; whether it be a positive or negative one depends entirely on one’s understanding of history and which side they drift towards. There is one thing, however, that cannot be disputed or dismissed, and that is Dexter’s life of accomplishment. Born into the esteemed and prodigiously gifted House of Pahldrick, named so after Lady Pahldrick of the Sharded Steps, Dexter quickly rose to prominence after a series of misadventures on the open seas. It was on the Gilded Current and the Charnel Lanes that a young Dexter found himself leaning towards a life of shipping and trade. Despite a natural aptitude for leading men, discovered during a period of imprisonment on a strange island of floating stones and monstrous jellyfish, Dexter found himself truly at home in the silence and relative peace of a captain’s cabin. Amidst astrolabe, tome and star-chart, the young Captain found himself learning the flow of the world through the flow of ocean currents and the march of economics. It was here, during a time of rampant war and piracy, that Dexter Pahldrick carved himself a reputation of diplomatic grace, tactical brilliance and a severe lack of compassion for those who earned his wrath. These traits came to bear in a series of naval skirmishes between Pahldrick’s ship, The Damocles, and a group of ex-Asadanese merfolk raiders known as the Gravelgills. Over a series of island-hopping skirmishes, magical duels between the sea-screamers of the Gravelgills and the mage-vanguard of The Damocles, and a violent conclusion amidst a chain of volcanic archipelagos, the Seven-Months Skirmish came to a glorious conclusion with Pahldrick and his crew victorious. The Gravelgills, a long scourge of the trade-route known as The Gilded Current, were sent to the depths of Adamaro with fear of a silver ship of billowing red sails and some of the toughest sailors known to the Estuv Ocean. During this time, Dexter suffered a grievous injury to his left leg, giving him a permanent limp and a desire to return home. Still, Pahldrick served his city-state of Mercendi, and his House, loyally for a total of twelve years and six months, before retiring as Commodore of the Mercendi Guardian Vanguard. After a storied career on the high seas, Pahldrick and his crew returned to his home city of Mercendi. In his absence, the Gleaming City had fallen on hard times. A blight was ransacking the lush, tropical jungles that surrounded the Golden Metropolis, raising the dead into harsh creatures of pestilence and disease, while suffocating trade lines and cherished supplies of food and grain. To make matters worse, Mercendi’s main trade resource, relics and magical ore mined from the jungle, were beginning to experience heavy competition from the countries of Taldro, Vestahltet and Asadan after the Leyline Wars came to a sudden and dramatic conclusion. Mercendi was dying a slow, painful and embarassing death, a combination of starvation, economics and poor leadership. Yet, it was not out of a sense of nationalism or concern for the common man that brought Captain Pahldrick home, but the birth of his first, and to this day, only son: Albert. Upon seeing his son’s tiny form, Dexter drew his sword and cut his captain’s hat in two, tossing one remnant into the fireplace, the other out a large, stained glass window. It is said that the second half of his hat flew to sea, and was swallowed by a sea serpent in a grand display of coincidence. During his time as father to young Albert, and soon his five sisters, Dexter grew less of a temper and more of a mind for raising and rearing. After all, his wife, Emelicia, was of ill-health and dark thoughts, often spent in opium dens or consorting with shamans of the Melangest Tropics in search of her mother’s lost soul. Emelicia died only three years after the birth of her fifth daughter, Polda. It is said that her spirit still wanders the Pahldrick Estate on Grove Lane in the Upper Plateau of Mercendi, but that is a story for another time. After her passing, Dexter devoted himself to three passions: his children, his education, and the world beyond. Over the years of his familial retreat, Mercendi grew worse. Less trade meant less opportunity, which in turn led to a rise in crime and desperation. The blight grew worse, leading to religious grandstanding and social disorder, and invasion seemed all but likely. Scout ships and bands of mercenaries in the jungle brought a two-pronged assault to the Gilded City’s shores and borders, and over the course of one month, the Council of Lorded Merchants all but abandoned the city’s rule. Disorder and rebellion festered in the sickened city, and within it, the hidden wealth and riches that Mercendi had hoarded over the years, plundered and pulled from the lush jungle surrounding the streets and ports. Still, the City’s health meant nothing to Pahldrick, as he felt no particular attachment to Mercendi. His home was of azure waves and gusts of winds, and the smiles and laughter of his children. During Albert’s eighteenth birthday, Dexter announced his intent to relocate the Pahldrick House to the peaceful country of Taldor, an ancestral home of humanity. All of this changed, however, when only a few weeks later, Albert was found hung and gutted on the prow of a trade ship. The grisly sight was partnered with the message “Hunger Consumes All: Birth Does Not Grant Immunity”, and so began the Silent War of the Silver Streets. The nobility and wealth of Mercendi were, over the course of several weeks, subjected to increasingly violent and monstrous fates. After the death of Albert, Dexter retreated from the world, intent on leaving the City behind to its fate. It was only after this youngest daughter, Polda, succumbed to the Mercendian Blight, that spurred Dexter from his malaise. At the age of 46, Dexter Pahldrick took the first step of many into his political career, intent on curing the disease he’d ignored for so long. What followed was a series of political and military doctrines that saw the Melangel Jungle was burnt to the ground, the bandits and brigands executed, and the Council of Lorded Merchants arrested, charged, and executed for conspiracy, blackmail, treason and murder. While extreme, the reaction to these decisions were effective, and Mercendi began a slow regrowth. Just as the Melangel Jungle took root from the Fires of Pahldrick, the Gleaming City began to regain its luster. Appointed as the Crowned-Regent of Mercendi, Dexter and his daughters took it upon themselves to disseminate their familial wealth to the struggling of Mercendi, an act known as the Regent’s Mercy. From there, Dexter recommissioned his personal fleet, led by The Damocles as the Free Fleet of Mercendi. Bestowing each of his daughter a Crown-class corsair, Pahldrick began the arduous process of opening Mercendi’s doors to the world. Representatives from the countries of Viscont and Taldoran are made witness to the Free Fleet of Mercendi, and in turn, the return of an economic powerhouse. Over the next ten years, the name Pahldrick loses its reputation of a falling house of ancient, weak nobility, but an economic powerhouse a hundred ships strong and backed by forty-six countries. During this time, Dexter and his daughters fostered the attention of the world into a political legacy, with Dexter passing down his title of Crowned-Regent to his three remaining daughters, intent on accepting the responsibility of bringing humanity to the newly risen continent of Teol. After attending the Tinhaven Accords and signing off, Dexter became the Human Representative of Teollish Affairs, and resided with his wife Civana and son Dexter Jr. in the city of Saltcrest. Council Tenure and Subsequent Death It would be an understatement to say that Dexter's time on the Teolish Council was controversial. During his tenure he commissioned the creation of a deadly neurotoxin called "the Cure", and then fooled the Adventurer's Guild into delivering it to Alkote Berekt's fleet at the end of Season 2-- nearly killing one of their own and murdering countless innocents who were turned into Weresharks. For a long while he was a vocal opponent of the Adventurer's Guild as a whole, as well. Later (perhaps as his health began to decline significantly) he had a change of heart, and even fought beside them in a one-on-one duel against Quentys the Rakshasa. Dexter passed away of Blackpowder sickness in his home in Saltcrest, with Cristian Pahldrick at his side. Humans live a fraction of the time, have a fraction of the inborn capability and strength of the other races, and a crippling addiction to proving the world wrong. And despite all this,or perhaps BECAUSE, we rule 72% of the known world. Why is this? Persistence. Adaptation. Grit. Humans know not the word “Stop”, nor do we understand the concept of “Enough”. Teol is a gift from the gods, the universe, whatever you wish. My job is to ensure that the gift of this continent is given to those who truly deserve it. Let the elves form their clades, let the dwarves rally and rumble in clan fights, let the orcs commune with their ancestors: while they tread the same path and spiral into obsolescence. I’ve seen the future, for myself and this continent, and they are inextricably tied together. I shan’t be seeing you soon, my darlings, but once I finish my job, the entire world will know of your Papa’s efforts. Think of me fondly if I fail.